What Does Pronoun Mean - Can Pronouns Keep My Writing Focused?

Estimated reading time 2 minutes

Introduction

Do you need to know how pronouns work? How do you unlock the power in these small yet potent words? These words will have a colossal impact on your writing, poetry, or songwriting. The magic happens when you substitute them for other words, making it so your writing becomes concise and (by extension) less wordy. Keep reading What Does Pronoun Mean – Can Pronouns Keep My Writing Focused? to find out how they work.

This article uses literary terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.

What Does Pronoun Mean: How Do You Define Them?

“What does pronoun mean?” Pronouns are a class of words that act as replacements for nouns and noun phrases. They permit us to talk about people, places, and things without having to say the exact noun again.

Personal pronouns mostly take the place of the names of individuals. The point of view, case, and plural forms further influence which word you’d use.

Subject:

First person singular: I
Second person singular: you
Third person singular: he, she, it
First person plural: we
Second person plural: you
Third person plural: they

Object:

First person singular: me
Second person singular: you
Third person singular: him, her, it
First person plural: us
Second person plural: you
Third person plural: them

Possessive:

First person singular: mine
Second person singular: yours
Third person singular: his, hers, its
First person plural: ours
Second person plural: yours
Third person plural: theirs

To see them in action, watch the video below.

A Popular Pronouns Video

What Does Pronoun Mean: What Other Types Are There?

“What does pronoun mean?” There are lots of types, so let’s dive in:

Demonstrative: These words point to referenced objects, people, or places (i.e., that, this, those, these).
Indefinite: These words get used for general groups of objects, places, or people (i.e., nobody, nothing, nowhere, neither, none, everybody, everyone, everything, everywhere, both, others, all, something, someone, somebody, somewhere, anybody, anyone, anything, whichever, anywhere, wherever, either).
Interrogative: Use these words when asking a question (i.e., what, who, whose, whom).
Possessive: Use these when somebody owns something (i.e., my, your, his, hers, our, their, mine, yours, its, ours, theirs).
Reflexive: These words point back to the noun itself (i.e., himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, myself, themselves, oneself).
Relative: These words begin clauses that can’t stand alone because they aren’t complete thoughts (i.e., which, that, who, whom).
Antecedents: You must make it clear which noun a pronoun points back to or you audience will get confused.

These pronouns are also impacted by case and plural forms.

What Does Pronoun Mean: Final Thoughts

“What does pronoun mean?” Here’s a summary:

They take the place of the words for people, places, and things.
Which ones you’ll use will be affected by the point of view, case, and plural forms.
They are important for effective writing because they help us steer clear of unnecessary repetition.

Have fun writing!

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What Does Pronoun Mean – Can Pronouns Keep My Writing Focused?